The Sins of the Father
by alice-in-hollywoodland
Summary: "It's different now, Zuko. I'm married... and I'm having his child." After the fall of Ba Sing Se, four conquerors return home and face changes that they aren't happy about. — Mai/Ozai, Azula/Ty Lee, AU S3.
1. Chapter 1

(an: this is an AU version of S3 based on the premise that Mai marries Ozai instead of accompanying her family to Omashu. S1/S2 are very, very close to canon and are one-hundred-percent canon for the Gaang.)

-::-

 ** _the sins of the father_**

-::-

(prologue)

-::-

Azula stepped onto the busy pier and at first believed she might be under arrest.

As much as she loved him, she would not put it past her father. He had very little tolerance for mistakes, and Azula certainly made one by letting Zuko get away. The soldiers crowding her were clearly not reinforcements, which made her doubtful that she would ever end up finding Ty Lee.

It turned out to be one of the rare occasions in which she was wrong.

"I'm not enthused about this," said Mai, which almost coaxed a laugh out of the princess.

"Neither am I," admitted Azula.

-::-

Ty Lee made the grave mistake of hugging Mai first, but Azula pretended to forgive her.

"You both are so pretty and this is so exciting and _of course_ I'll come with you! Mai, tell me all about your wedding," Ty Lee squealed. Azula pretended not to care about the fact that Ty Lee nervously declined the princess before she saw her _other_ best friend.

"It was _such_ a joyous occasion," Azula sarcastically snarled, which Mai understood but flew right over Ty Lee's head.

-::-

When Azula decided to spend two nights in Omashu—as it was on the path to Zuko—Mai hated the idea.

She reconsidered when she discovered how fun it was to outrank her parents. It was the one good thing about her situation and she liked seeing how far she could push it.

Very far, was the answer.

Azula was better at it, but it was still the most fun Mai had in her whole life.

-::-

"Military base, camping, or your parents' new palace." Azula turned up her palms. "I think I made the right choice in our lodgings."

Mai nodded. Ty Lee smiled, curled up against Azula like an attention-starved cat.

It was not where she wanted to be, but there really wasn't anywhere she wanted to be, so she would make do with this. At least they could leave Oma— _New Ozai City_ —soon.

This trip was even more boring than staying at home. Or, at least, it was until she ended up in the middle of a hostage negotiation.

-::-

"I'm going to say this because I can. I think your obsession with the Avatar is a waste of time," Mai said. Azula looked about to bite her head off, but she just ignored the insult. Mai so rarely exercised the power to say whatever she wanted.

"I'm _going_ to say that you are my soldier on this mission, not my stepmother, and what I decide is final," Azula replied after collecting herself.

"I know, princess," Mai said.

Ty Lee had wide eyes and anxious lips as she watched the brief conversation from the other side of the fire.

-::-

"Clumps!"

Ty Lee hugged Mai.

Azula hated Mai.

-::-

Mai discovered she was pregnant while she was in Ba Sing Se.

She was sick and, while Azula and Ty Lee explored the city together, she went to find a healer. The woman wiped off that stupid Kyoshi Warrior make-up and for a moment Mai was afraid that the woman would see her Fire Nation features. If she did, she said nothing about it.

All she did was break the news.

Mai was petrified, but she did not show it.

-::-

"You were awfully helpful," snapped Azula, her arms crossed.

Mai only shrugged. She was not going to say a word about her suspicions or the fact that she probably would not have obeyed that order even if she _didn't_ think she was pregnant. If she was—which she was fairly certain about—it was one time in which Ozai would likely listen to Mai over Azula.

Ty Lee waited for attention that she did not receive.

"I thought it was fun," Ty Lee said when she decided that Azula was _definitely_ ignoring her for some reason.

"I thought it was part of a better plan. I do love making people feel secure before I destroy them," said Azula.

Even Ty Lee noticed who that was directed at.

-::-

(chapter one)

-::-

Mai tried not to make eye contact with Zuko. Well, she tended to avoid looking directly at _anyone_ , as it might make them think she wanted to talk to them. He kept trying to catch her gaze and she knew that he was sorting out his feelings for her. She had already done that a year ago; she filed them away and never looked back.

"Are you cold?" slipped out of Mai's mouth. She usually found silence to be the best kind of conversation, but this was getting too awkward.

"A little." He stared at her for a moment. "You're married now, aren't you?"

"Am I? I had no idea." Maybe she could have been kinder in her response, but she was never a nice person and never cared to be one.

He laughed uncomfortably.

"I don't want to get in between anything."

"Did you think that even was a possibility?"

That crushed him, and she admittedly felt kind of bad. She always liked Zuko and she probably still did somewhere deep within her ice cold heart.

"Uh…"

"I shouldn't have said that. I honestly think I would have given you a chance to date me, or Azula might have asked me to seduce you, if things weren't… different."

"I would've gotten a chance?"

"Maybe, but things are different now, Zuko. I'm married… and I'm having his child."

"You're what?" He _yelled_. Mai wanted to punch him.

"I haven't told anyone yet so keep it to yourself."

"Why not?"

"Because I've been busy hunting you to the corners of the Earth with the horrible creatures I consider to be my best friends." Mai kind of liked his shocked and terrified expression. "Right now you're thinking that it's fucked up, which I would say it is because it is, but I would also say that you have at least a slight idea of what marriage entails and it shouldn't be as shocking as you seem to think it is."

"Then why doesn't Azula know?"

"Because she would probably throw me overboard if I told her on a boat."

Zuko laughed, which made the discomfort _slightly_ deescalate.

"Yeah, she won't be happy."

"She's already jealous because she thinks Ty Lee is into me. I don't want to think about what she would do in this situation."

"When she was born, I was already pretty jealous and I was only a toddler. She was in her cradle or whatever babies sleep in and I got some books and I was dropping them into the cradle. My mother caught me and I had never seen her so angry. I told her I thought Azula might like to read something. She didn't believe me."

"What can I say? You're a bad liar."

-::-

Zuko felt a disproportionate amount of rage when he saw his father kiss Mai.

They never _really_ dated, but they knew they would get married one day. He thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world and he always wanted to make her smile. He still did, even after so many years. Seeing her lips twitched as that disgusting kiss broke made him want to punch his father.

His father, who glanced up at him, sneered every-so-slightly and then turned to Azula.

"We're talking. Now," he ordered, his voice much softer than it ever would have been with Zuko.

Azula nodded sharply and followed him into the throne room.

"She's going to say nice things about you," Mai said and Zuko snorted. "Really. She should've brought you home in the same fashion as your uncle, or just killed you in Ba Sing Se. You can always trust Azula to save her own skin."

"You lost me at 'always trust Azula'," he joked, although it was true.

"Ozai can tell her," said Mai.

Zuko cringed and said, "Don't call my dad Ozai."

"Why not?" Mai turned and leaned her back against the ship. She kind of liked Zuko's eyes on her, studying her and probably hoping she was not noticing.

"Because it's weird and no one calls him that," Zuko said, peeling his eyes from her chest.

"I do."

The Fire Lady vanished.

-::-

Mai very rarely shared a bed with her husband. They may have been married, but he did not want to force her—although she knew he had forced others and it was a very convoluted idea of honor to not do it to his wife—and so they slept apart.

She knocked on his door that first night.

When he answered it, he asked, "Are you cold?"

Mai did not know if she should lie or not. She shrugged and stepped inside. He closed the door behind her and walked back to his bed, his wife already curling up beneath his blankets. Ozai knew it was going to be a very uncomfortable night.

"I need to tell you something," said Mai, which did not sound good. "I'm pregnant."

A thousand reactions came over him at once. He intended for that to happen, but certainly not now, certainly not after being with her for only a year. Certainly not now that he has Zuko to deal with.

"That's wonderful," he said, choosing the reaction that would hurt her less.

"I wish it hadn't happened too," Mai said. He could have told her not to _assume_ what he thought, but he decided it was not the time.

"No," he whispered, although it felt like a shouted command. He wrapped one arm around her. "It's not a bad thing. It's not an easy thing. But it's not a bad one either."

Mai disagreed, but she, of course, kept it to herself.

"I wish I was older."

"I should have waited longer to claim you."

"I should have slept in my own room more often."

They both mutually yet silently agreed to stop seeking a source of blame.

Mai tried to sleep after the end of her long journey. Ozai could not stop himself from thinking about the fact that she was so small and warm and soft and her breast rested against his lower arm.

He did not know what he was supposed to do about this scenario. It angered him that she was in that condition but he kept it from her.

Mai was coldhearted on the surface but he thought she was fragile underneath.

-::-

After Azula finished being _celebrated_ , she lay in the courtyard instead of training. She loved bending above all else, but she sometimes liked to let herself rest.

Ty Lee joined her without asking for permission.

"I thought you'd be cuddling with Mai," said Azula, which made Ty Lee's face flicker with _hurt_. It felt good to the princess. "Is she busy?"

"I want to be with you. You're my best friend in the whole world," Ty Lee whispered, lying down beside Azula. She smiled at the sky. "Are you happy to be home?"

"Sure. Why not?" Azula was not in the mood for conversation, but she did quite like toying with Ty Lee. Giving her snippets of the attention she desperately _needed_ was all too enjoyable. "Have you had a nice time sharing a bit of my glory?"

"I'm so honored to have it," Ty Lee whispered, turning to face Azula.

Azula intentionally did not look back at her. It made Ty Lee try as hard as she could to catch her eyes; Azula teased her for a few moments before she looked back.

"Good," Azula gently said.

When Azula looked at Ty Lee, the acrobat felt like a cat basking in the light of the sun.

-::-

"Does he love her? Does he love her more than…?" Zuko trailed off because he was no moron. Their mother did not exist anymore; she was erased from history like a blemish and it made him sick.

"How would I know? I don't gossip with her about her disgusting sex life with my own father," said Azula. "I think your jealousy is entertaining, however. You seem to really think that she was ever yours."

"She was," irately said Zuko. "She was."

Azula shrugged one shoulder and wickedly smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

-::-

(chapter two)

-::-

The four conquerors of Ba Sing Se were invited to a bonfire party. Some of them—usually held by teenagers—were rowdy and lewd, but this one sounded like it was a genuine celebration true to the roots of Fire Nation bonfire celebrations. The guest list did consist of many important people, albeit young ones.

Mai had to ask permission. She did not like her answer.

"I do not want you going anywhere with Zuko," ordered Fire Lord Ozai.

Mai should have expected it. It was obvious that Zuko was at least physically attracted to Mai, and the constant paranoia was a part of her life at this point. She was younger, he was possessive. The only thing was, he had never denied her something until now.

Her blank expression did not reveal any of her anger.

"Azula and Ty Lee will be there too," Mai said, internally cringing when she realized that she had not denied anything about Zuko. She _should have_ , but it was too late now.

"That doesn't matter. You're staying here."

Mai wanted to argue, to protest, but she had never done that before in her year of marriage. Maybe she should have at some point, but her parents beat any desire to rebel against her circumstances out of her. She just stared for a few moments, waiting for Ozai to respond to her.

He did not and so she walked away, shutting herself in her bedroom.

It was a stupid day trip anyway. She would have been bored to tears, Azula and Ty Lee would have painful sexual tension, Zuko would keep looking at her.

Yes, it was best for her to stay home.

-::-

"I want you to stay with me tonight," said Ozai, the first comment since he forbade her from leaving the palace ever again. She thought that perhaps she was in too deep with this baby, and…

She would talk to him tonight. It might be the best option.

"In your room?" Mai asked, although it was rather obvious. She wanted to say something sarcastic and smooth, but she felt sick and miserable. There was no fathoming the depths of her hatred of her condition.

Mai did as she was told. That night she went to her own bedroom and undressed. She prepared herself for bed but applied a tad of make-up as a second thought. If she wanted to persuade him, she would have to be attractive. The dark circles under her eyes and the pallid hue of her lips certainly complemented her depressingly grey aura—Ty Lee's words, not hers—but they were not sexy features.

She walked through the huge, shadowy corridors of the palace and knocked on his door. He answered it and wordlessly stepped aside to let her in.

He looked at her like she was fragile, as he had since day one of their relationship.

Mai despised him until his gaze shifted elsewhere and the comfortable indifference returned.

-::-

On the other side of Caldera, the bonfire party had died down. Azula did not enjoy herself, despite being the guest of honor. Ty Lee kept hitting on three boys, as if Mai was not enough, and Zuko was clearly hiding something. Something that could destroy her credibility and prompt Ozai to punish her.

She talked her way out of trouble; Zuko was not supposed to come home alive or unchained.

Azula cornered him as soon as the partygoers began to trickle away from the embers of the once raging bonfire.

"You will tell me what you are hiding or there will be a gaping, burning hole where your chest cavity used to be," Azula demanded, her words heated and violent but her voice cold and peaceful.

Zuko truly did not like the fact that Azula had him pinned against a tree. He could knee her and run, but he was not certain if her threat was empty or not. Prince Zuko liked to keep his chest cavity intact and not charred or burning.

"Mai is pregnant. With a baby."

Azula stepped back. "A baby? As opposed to being pregnant with a lemur?"

Zuko did not like the word _lemur_. It reminded him of the Avatar and the pursuit he felt was not yet over. He pushed that to the back of his mind and walked away as quickly as possible.

Azula clenched her fists and tried not to burn down the forest.

She almost burned to death the person grabbing her from behind, but she smelled Ty Lee's strong perfume and kept her flames under control. Azula spun around and accepted the hug. Ty Lee squeezed her tightly and stepped back.

"Did you have fun? I had so much fun!" Ty Lee smiled, her eyes sparkling like precious gems. Azula hated looking at them because they were so pleasing. "It's so sad that Mai couldn't come."

"Just kiss her already," Azula snapped. Ty Lee suddenly was crestfallen, as if she was not in love with the wrong person. "I suppose, you could if you're into pregnant girls."

Ty Lee's jaw dropped. "Pr-pregnant girls? Mai is pregnant?"

"Apparently." Azula was surprised that she kept the strong vitriol out of her voice. "I imagine it is my sibling."

Ty Lee's eyes flitted about, as if words were hiding in the forest. Azula knew it. She _knew_ Ty Lee was in love and it made her want to burn the forest down. Maybe she _should_ do that. It would be very satisfying.

Azula reluctantly decided against it and located the servants who would bring her home.

-::-

It was late and Mai and Ozai were talking. Or, he was talking, and expecting her to be engaged in it, but she could only think about what she wanted to ask.

"You aren't listening, are you?" he asked, thankfully not in the tone he used with people he had mutilated or tortured.

"I'm just thinking. Maybe," Mai whispered, "it would be best if we didn't keep this baby."

He did not have an obvious reaction, which scared Mai more than anything. She saw betrayal in his eyes after a moment, which was both dreadful and a relief. Then his bitter expression faded; he hesitated. She knew that look; he remembered how young she was.

"Why do you not want it?" he asked, setting down his drink.

She averted her eyes. Mai did not know why she felt so ashamed, but she did.

"I don't know if I can handle it," she whispered. "I don't think… there's plenty of time. A lot of time. We have years."

He touched her hand. She instinctually began to pull away before he grabbed onto her and she remembered where she was and who she was with.

"I want it. Reuniting with Zuko makes me think it's a good thing," he said. Mai frowned faintly. "Your feelings for him aside, he's a disappointment. So much of one that I can't even joke about it."

"Azula is… remarkable." That was true. Mai did not mean to pause while speaking; she just hated remembering that her best friend turned into her daughter. "When I say time I also mean that we haven't been together for even a year yet and I think this is too fast. I don't even know anything about you and I'm supposed to have your baby?"

She kept her voice flat, but that could not repair her words.

He stood up. She felt small and helpless with him looming above her.

"We're keeping it," he said. This was as the Fire Lord, not as… whatever he was to Mai now. "But I think you're right. We do need to get to know each other. I'd be happy to do that."

Mai nodded. She had no other choice but to agree.

-::-

In the morning, Mai woke alone. She stood up, had dry heaves, and then crept to her own room to get dressed. The morning was unpleasant, to say the least. It became even worse when she walked out of her room and ran directly into Princess Azula.

Wonderful. Just what she needed.

"You could've told me you were pregnant," she snarled. This was probably going to end in Mai's death by lightning, and Mai wondered for a moment if that would be a better fate than having this baby. "Why not? I should've been the first person you told, not _Zuko_."

"I was genuinely afraid that you would kill me," Mai said.

Azula glowered. "I don't know if that is a joke or not, but I could understand your fears. How did you get pregnant?"

"I really don't think you want me to tell you."

"I mean—was it intentional?"

"Of course it wasn't intentional. We've been married for less than a year."

"Hmph." Azula left, sparing Mai.

Oh, joy.

-::-

Zuko sat down across from Mai at a worn Pai Sho table. They were disinterestedly playing. Mai toyed with one of the tiles between her fingers; Zuko was almost immobilized by the memories of his Uncle. Even the gorgeous girl in front of him could not make him forget what he did to Iroh.

"I remember when I got the announcement about your wedding," Zuko said, pushing a tile into place. It was a bad move, but Mai did not notice. "I was at some port somewhere. I remember the sights and smells but not the geography of it. Anyway, it was posted everywhere and Uncle got a letter. Sucks I missed your wedding, but I was pretty busy being banished."

Mai set down the tile that was between her fingers.

"I have no idea how Azula got you home like this, but I think you're lucky. I think you should be more careful what you say," Mai said.

"I'm just commenting on getting your wedding announcement. Nothing more."

"Then be careful of the way you look at me. He…" He not long ago had someone's eyes gouged out once over that and Zuko already had a horrid scar to deal with.

"Do you like being married to him?"

"You really didn't listen to what I said, did you?"

"I want to know."

"I don't care about whether I like being married to him or not. I don't really like anything, as you might have noticed, but I'm neutral on the marriage topic."

"Do you like being pregnant?"

"No one does." Mai focused on the game after that. Her eyes, although never meeting his again, said much more than her words.

Zuko, having _some_ tact and enough smarts not to ask what she truly felt, also turned his attention to Pai Sho.

-::-

That night, Zuko tossed and turned. He stared at the ceiling and tried to silence his thoughts to no avail. All he could think about was how the Avatar might not be alive, how he did not know how to make Ozai stop looking at him like he should be imprisoned, how he _let_ Iroh get imprisoned, how Mai was pregnant, how Katara touched his scar in those catacombs…

Zuko thought from time to time that he was a screw-up, but Iroh always reminded him of the reasons why he was not. Yet, with Iroh not around, Zuko was forced to live with the fact that he could not do anything right.

Or have a crush on a girl who he could feasibly date.

Mai was married to his father; Katara saw him as the face of the enemy.

They were both also kind of horrible people in his opinion.

But what better a match for someone as horrible as himself?

-::-

That night, Mai stayed awake as long as she could before she knew she was stretching the plausibility of it being for her own entertainment. She walked to the Fire Lord's room and knocked on the door. It took a few moments, but he answered it and she stepped inside.

He kissed her roughly and she took an involuntary step back. She wished she had not done that, but there was nothing she could say. The tension in the air was enough without commenting on the kiss.

Fire Lord Ozai shut the door behind them. Mai struggled to remember how to walk.

"I was just about to go find you," he said, his eyes fixated on her.

She was not used to that. Usually, he did not look at a person for long.

"Target practice was engrossing." Somehow this was more awkward than when they first got married. Mai did not know such a thing was possible. "I needed it."

He took her by the waist and guided her into the depths of the bedroom. She did not like being _handled_ by people, but she was in no position to stop him. Ozai set her on the foot of the bed and she tried not to make eye contact. It might spark conversation.

Ozai set two fingers under her chin and tilted her face up; there was no avoiding meeting eyes now. Few things made Mai scared enough for her blood rush to her heart and legs, but this did. Thankfully, he did not speak to her as she feared he might. He kissed her again.

He pushed her onto her back, by her shoulder instead of her stomach, and she remained as still and tense as a statue.

His knuckles brushed up the inside of her leg towards her thigh.

-::-

In the morning, Zuko declined the offer to practice firebending with a real instructor. He knew it was what his father expects, but he would be mocked either way by the Fire Lord. Azula, of course, decided to light up the morning with blue light brighter than the sunrise itself. He could not ignore it from his bedroom; it made it impossible to go back to sleep after his nightmare about the Avatar.

When he got up, she had just finished her morning bending, and they literally collided with each other in the living quarters. After picking themselves up, they collected themselves and finally looked at each other. Zuko saw her waiting for him to speak and decided to ask the question that had kept him up late into the night.

"Azula," Zuko asks, grabbing her arm. She hits his hand and takes several steps backwards, glaring fiercely. "I didn't mean to… ugh. Azula, do you… do you think Mai is happy?"

"No. I think she is literally never happy and never has been for as long as I have known her."

"I phrased that wrong. Is she happy in her marriage?" Zuko asked, which just aggravated Azula further.

"So help me, do not ask about this again. Ask Ty Lee about this kind of thing," Azula snaps. As he turned, she added, "And if you don't want me to relay this conversation to father, ask her if she's in love with Mai."

It seemed petty, but Zuko knew he was just as bad.

There was no way on Earth he would ever be with her, so why was he considering it?

-::-

Mai saw a real healer about her pregnancy at Ozai's behest. He said that the ones in the Colonies were not good enough and she agreed. It was obvious by this point that the one she saw in the Earth Kingdom was right, but they could gain more information from one in the homeland.

The woman was professional but looked rather eccentric in her many layers of shimmering fabric and copious jewels. She looked like a very tacky fire.

"So, I am ten weeks pregnant and you've given me twenty herbs to take. We're done. Goodbye," Mai said, having no patience for conversation or being poked and prodded any longer.

"Are you unhappy about the pregnancy?"

"I am unhappy about everything," Mai said dryly.

The healer would not accept that answer. "You could bond with your baby."

"I'd rather not."

"If you change your mind, in the morning, you can set your hands on your stomach and visualize your hopes and dreams about being a parent."

"Yeah, I am never going to do that."

* * *

(an: thank you so much for the response to this story. It's awesome.)

(an2: I'm going to be updating the last week of every month as of my plans right now.)


	3. Chapter 3

-::-

(chapter three)

-::-

For Mai and Ozai, sex came first; intimacy came later.

Well, it _would_ come later. Mai imagined that would eventually happen, whether she liked it or not. Maybe she hoped for it. She did not know; she only knew that she never liked sharing a room, much less a bed, but was waking up beside the Fire Lord.

Roughness vanished the moment Mai revealed the fact that she was pregnant.

Or, if she were a less cynical person, she would say when she revealed the fact that she did not want the baby because their relationship was, well, not a relationship.

At the moment, his hands traveled over her back and softly stroked her neck. It was an eerie feeling. They were not quite lovers, it was not quite gentle, it was not quite committed. Whatever they were, Mai did not even notice the goosebumps for her confusion.

She pulled away, expecting him to yank her back. He did not, which made her worry. Mai hated worrying. It involved thinking about the future and caring about something, two qualities she made sure to stamp out of herself.

"What would satisfy your need to know me?"

"I didn't think you would actually follow through with that."

"That was wise of you. I know my own character, but we are stuck together. I can't use you and throw you away like I have for my entire life." He considered his words for a moment. "I wouldn't entertain it if I didn't gain anything. You're mysterious and icy."

"Then I guess we start shallow and then go deep. No lies, no hesitation."

"No lies, no hesitation."

Ozai glanced at the sun. "But I have to go. This sort of thing should never be rushed and I am already running late."

Mai would never believe him if she was not feeling the strange ambiance of this morning. It honestly puzzled her, but he dressed and left before she had a chance to think about it or watch him further.

She was more confused by the fact that she _wanted_ to feel something romantic.

-::-

Azula woke with Ty Lee on her floor and instantly lamented the fact that they were not tangled together and naked. She did not know why she would want that. Azula was _above_ such things as wanting sex, even with someone as undeniably desirable as Ty Lee.

It seemed natural to her, even if she knew she was better than that.

Ty Lee opened her eyes. She had been awake for some time, waiting for Azula. Sneaking out was a bad choice and waking Azula a worse one.

"Good morning, princess," she said, brightly. Ty Lee ignored the feelings swelling inside of her. They were the same ones that kept her up the entire night, thinking about how much she was in love with her best friend, and how fucked up that was.

She doubted Azula would ever want her back. So how could Ty Lee fall for her? It seemed to be a surefire way to get damaged beyond repair.

"I will see you around," said Azula, jumping to her feet. She did not even bother changing out of her pajamas when she bolted from the room.

Ty Lee picked at her lower lip and wondered what on Earth she did wrong.

Azula was constantly angry at her of late. Why?

-::-

Zuko should have been waking up beside Mai, in his opinion. He _imagined_ they would still be destined for each other when he came home with the Avatar. Or with Azula's dangerous lie. Whatever. He was _thrilled_ when Mai kissed him that night, kissed him again, kissed him _several_ times before informing him of the pregnancy.

 _"_ _Why would you let me think we could…?" Zuko asked, openly crestfallen._

 _"_ _Azula told me to," she replied, shrugging, crushing his heart with one sentence. "She was concerned you would do something stupid if I didn't give you a good reason to come home."_

 _Zuko then knew that his father did not want him brought home, even to lock him up. If Azula showed up with Zuko in chains he would still be displeased because his father wanted her to kill him. Despite now fully realizing the extent of Ozai's hatred, he was excited to see father angry at Azula instead of him._

 _But then he looked up at Mai and could think of nothing but the girl stolen from him._

Maybe they had been apart for a long time and maybe he knew about her marriage. He just thought that she would be uninterested in his father and want to be with him instead. That was foolish and impossible but he believed in it as deeply as he believed he would catch the Avatar.

Then again, he was halfway right about that.

Maybe he was not as wrong as he thought about Mai.

He merely had to find the bravery to find her and talk to her. Zuko knew he could flirt if he _tried_. Mai might like him and be afraid to say anything.

That was likely.

How could she want to be with Ozai?

Zuko gained more and more assured as he got ready for the day.

-::-

In the mid-afternoon, Ty Lee wove flowers in Mai's hair, trying to forget about Azula. Mai did not care enough to resist, as ridiculous as she knew she would look. She wanted to be away from her troubles and return to how things were when she was young and truly cared about nothing at all.

"You look amazing," Ty Lee said, leaning back and examining her work.

Mai began to take out the flowers. "Whatever you say," was her dry response.

She stopped when she saw Zuko approaching. Completely shirtless from practicing firebending. Well, that was his story. He actually took his shirt off _after_ training, when he saw Mai and Ty Lee. He looked at her with those flowers in her hair and the silken wrap around her that made the very slight bump noticeable. Even with that, she was very pretty.

Ty Lee jumped up and walked away, smiling to herself as she left them alone.

Mai never knew her friend wanted to watch this dangerous nightmare.

"Hey," Zuko said, taking Ty Lee's place on the stone bench. He saw the flowers in her hair and the clothes that hid any evidence of her pregnancy. That all encouraged him. "You look good."

"Do you think I care how I look?" Mai asked, which almost killed the confidence he forced onto himself. He _knew_ the girl would turn him down. He _knew_ it. With a scar and a damaged air and her being married… Zuko felt immensely stupid.

"No." He smiled at her through his panic. She liked that smile; she looked away to avoid thinking about it. "I think you're gorgeous no matter what. But I've never seen what you look like right when you wake up."

Mai rolled her eyes. "You're terrible at this."

"At what?" he asked, the nerves suddenly showing. His sexy air of confidence was little more than a façade, which Mai already knew, but it did garner a shred of her pity.

"At trying to toy with emotions that don't exist. You're not naturally flirty and it's kind of ridiculous coming from you." Mai stopped and contemplated him. He did look extremely good, low self-esteem or not, and his flirting was not the _worst_ in the universe. Probably. "I don't like guys who are cheesy. Not at all. I don't mind the ones who are a bit awkward, though."

He found that encouraging and the look of wanting to run away vanished from his face. He asked teasingly, "What kind do you like?"

"The ones who don't care either," said Mai, picking at her fingernails and feigning disinterest. "And ones who look good with their shirts off."

Zuko worked up the courage to say, "I'm half of those things," hoping he was right.

Mai said, coming close to a smirk, "I know."

He blushed. She hated that she liked that because she knew his interest in her was strange and based solely on lust with a bit of confusion thrown in.

"Can I walk you inside?" Zuko asked, which made Mai roll her eyes.

"Again, I said I don't like cheesy," she said, but he was undeterred.

He stood up and offered her his hand. She rejected it, but she did stand and follow him into the palace. After a very short and silent walk, Mai opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Zuko smashing into the wall.

Mai wholly anticipated seeing Azula incensed over something, but she saw Ozai instead.

"You need to understand something," said Ozai to his son as he released him from the wall and stood back. He sounded surprisingly calm for someone who just knocked the winds out of his teenage boy. "I didn't want you to come home. Azula convinced me of your loyalty when it comes to your Nation, but I need your loyalty as my son as well. I had very low hopes that you would learn anything about respect. You've proven me right."

Zuko wanted to run. He wanted to bow and apologize. Instead, he played innocent and asked, "I'm not allowed to talk to her?"

Ozai clarified, "Not like _that_."

Zuko made the foolish mistake of striking first. His father grabbed him by the shoulder and pinned him to the wall before he could land the punch.

He managed to burn his father's arm before a single, flameless punch left him on the ground out cold.

Ozai grabbed Mai by the waist and they left the room in a whirlwind. He turned her around to face him in a shady room.

"Let's start now with that _'getting to know you'_ idea. No lies, not hesitation," growled Ozai. Mai did not think this would be as simple and calm as this morning. "Are you attracted to him?"

"Yes. Physically, of course, like every girl other than Azula. Every girl. He's pretty, but I don't want him." Mai crossed her arms.

He demanded, displeased with that answer, "Why wouldn't you want him if he's _so pretty_?"

"Because he's madly into me but he doesn't know me at all. I don't know why he wants me that bad, to tell the truth, and I don't like it." Mai sighed. She wanted to lie, but could not. "He knows more about that water girl than he does about me."

Ozai roughly demanded, "What water girl?"

"I forgot; you don't know her. She's the Avatar's…" Mai stopped to think. "I guess probably his girlfriend. They seem girlfriend and boyfriend-ish. But girls in mourning are super easy to pick up. Maybe Zuko should go on a quest to capture her heart."

"Not when girls are in mourning over the boyfriend you yourself killed."

Mai slyly said, "The opposite of that. I like very few things, but I liked that altercation. It only would've been made better by a murder."

The silence that followed was not comfortable, but it was not uncomfortable either.

-::-

That night, Mai was rubbing mint lotion on her legs when her husband walked in.

She liked sharing a room as much as he liked sharing her with Zuko. Mai always preferred privacy, even before she was wed. That was why she appreciated having her own room in the palace. Maybe Ozai wanted to make her hate him.

His eyes lingered on her hands and slick skin.

Mai took in a deep breath and time slowed down. He seized her with a force that she hated loving and pulled her onto his lap. Yet, despite the surge of warmth in her core, she kept her expression blank. She did show the desire she felt when she grinded her hips against his.

The moment she noticed what she was doing, she slipped away. He would not let her pull away ever again and he dragged her back. He turned her head towards him and kissed her.

When he broke that kiss, Mai pressed her lips against his. It was hesitant, but deepened very quickly. He adjusted her legs until she was straddling him and she felt him grow hard against her.

"Maybe we shouldn't. I don't know if I like doing this while pregnant," Mai said.

"You don't know anything you like," he breathed back. "It doesn't matter. We only have so long, don't we?"

Mai did break free of him and stood. "I'm sorry."

"Come back," he said, gesturing for her to return.

She hesitated, but followed the order.


End file.
